MS. beaches still damaged after Isaac

BILOXI, Miss. (AP) - Beaches at Ocean Springs are still a mess after Hurricane Isaac, and worries over a court ruling are one reason why they aren't being cleaned up .

The Sun Herald reports that Jackson County officials interpret a recent court ruling dealing with the beachfront property of two landowners as meaning that all  of the county's beaches are now private property. And it's illegal for the county to do work on private property.

Meanwhile the state health department has declared the beaches a health hazard.

The hurricane complicates the issue because beach cleanup is expensive and the federal government reimburses most of those costs. So if Jackson County won't clean the beach, Ocean Springs wants to make sure the city will be reimbursed if it hires a contractor to do it.